#ThirstyThursday Issue #127

⚡ Productivity: The ultimate guide to time blocking.

🎯 Personal Development: What are process goals (with examples)?

😌 Engagement: How to stay engaged when your work sucks.

🕒 Time Management: Doing a time audit can help you spot unnecessary tasks that clog up your work day.

💼 Career: Switch industries or roles successfully.

Takeaways:

• Schedule a meeting to discuss work style and preferences with your manager
• Use phrases like “I perform best when….” and frame accommodation requests as “Would it be okay if ….”
• Highlight the strengths of your ADHD and how your manager can utilize them

Watch the full video here.

If you’re looking for a fun way to bond and connect with your remote or hybrid team, look no further!

This spin on the classic game show format divides your coworkers into two teams to battle it out in a multi-round survey game to guess the most popular answers.

When should you plan this virtual event?

How about to celebrate any of these upcoming workplace events and holidays:

• Administrative Professionals’ Day (Wed, April 24th)
• Mother’s Day (May 12th)
• First Day of Pride Month (June 1)

To plan your own game show, sign up for FREE at Confetti here.

Takeaways:

• Chris Bailey tested only using his phone for 30 min max a day for a month and saw 3 results:
  • His attention span grew; he was able to focus more easily
  • He had more ideas
  • He had more plans and thoughts about the future
  • Note: it took about a week to adjust to this lower level of stimulation.
• This led him to research focus deeply and discovered that working in front of a computer (with your phone nearby) you experience 40 sec of focus before you’re distracted/interrupted (and when you have something like Slack open, this reduces to 35 sec)
• Our brains aren’t actually distracted — they’re overstimulated and crave distraction.
• Not only that, but you experience novelty bias which triggers a hit of dopamine (pleasure chemical) when you check social media, etc.
• So, how do you get from super high stimulation to lower levels? Boredom.
• Having a lower stimulated brain allows for your mind to wander more, and your brain also doesn’t crave distractions as much.
• Letting your brain wander helps you approach ideas in different ways and can spark creativity.
• Chris challenges you to this 2 week challenge: make your mind less stimulated — try utilizing the features on your devices to limit usage, have a disconnection ritual, and rediscover boredom.

Watch the insightful video here.

Takeaways:

• It’s vital to establish clear boundaries that help separate your work life from your home life. Consider setting strict working hours and unplugging completely when the workday ends. This not only prevents burnout but also allows you to be fully present with those who matter most.
• Your role in your family and friendships can’t be filled by anyone else. Make it a priority to enrich these relationships by spending quality time together, communicating openly, and supporting each other’s endeavors. This investment pays dividends in lifelong memories and deep connections.
• Taking care of yourself isn’t selfish — it’s essential. Engage in activities that rejuvenate your spirit and health, whether it’s exercise, reading, or a creative hobby. When you’re at your best, you bring more joy and energy to your interactions at home.

Click here to see the post.

We’re a small team at The Assist, so we rely on lightweight tools like Notion to power our operations.

Because we wear multiple hats (startup life for ya!), projects are constantly flying around, and priorities can change on a dime.

And even though I’d have regular 1:1s with Cameron (my direct report), sometimes weeks would go by before we’d realize a few to-dos slipped through the cracks.

Our solution?

• Creating a system to track our 1:1 meetings and creating a centralized hub for all things TA.
• Filling out agenda items prior to meeting to keep us focused
• Ending each meeting with a clear plan of action and to-dos listed with deadlines
• Reviewing uncompleted tasks in our next meeting and aligning on priorities

You don’t need a complicated system to stay organized — in fact, the simpler it is, the easier to keep up with it.

⭐ I recommend starting with an easy to use template like this 1:1 meeting notes from Notion.

  Joanna (Co-Founder of TA)

Takeaways:

• According to scientists and doctors, menstrual fluid is like “gold dust” and are starting to see it as a superpower for women’s health research — it’s not just blood; it’s a gold mine of fluids, cells, proteins, and more.
• Right now, as little as 1% of global medical research spending goes to female-specific conditions. But as more generations of talented women rise up in medicine, many are hoping to close the gender data gap in health care.
• Scientists are analyzing certain cells in menstrual fluid and the lining of the uterus to better tell us what’s happening in our bodies. They believe studying the uterus can tell us a lot about healing other parts of the body in both sexes.

See the full post here.

📚 Red Rising is just the beginning of an epic book series (7 total, 6 released) — if you’re into sci-fi dystopian fiction, say hello to your new obsession.

🧥 I’m loving my new faux leather bomber — true to size, comfy, and versatile. (You can see me wearing it here!)

📝 If you prefer full page to-do lists, this is a great option.

🎵 If you need a new work music playlist to jam out to, here you go.